The EAA in Germany
Germany has written the European Accessibility Act into national law and is among the EU’s more active enforcers — authorities have opened cases, launched market surveillance, or set out clear penalty powers.
Penalties
What non-compliance can cost in Germany
The maximum reported penalty in Germany is Up to €100,000 per violation — €10,000 for lesser cases; plus competitor cease-and-desist (Abmahnung) actions. Penalties are set nationally under Article 30 of the directive, which requires them to be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
Penalties are set in §37 BFSG; the joint Länder authority MLBF (Magdeburg) became operational in late 2025. E-commerce operators drew the earliest attention.
Cure period
Market surveillance uses a notice-then-enforce process.
Complaints & enforcement
How a complaint reaches a penalty in Germany
Beyond regulators, German competitors can pursue non-compliant rivals under unfair-competition law (Abmahnung) — enforcement can come from business rivals, not just the state.
Scope
Who must comply
The obligations are the same EU-wide: any business placing covered products or providing covered services to consumers in Germany is in scope, including companies based outside the EU. Micro-enterprises are exempt for services only. See the full scope and exemptions on the overview.
Operating in Germany? Find out where you stand.
I run structured accessibility audits against EN 301 549 and WCAG 2.2 AA, mapped to the obligations that apply in your markets. Start with a conversation about your risk and readiness.
Sources
Figures for Germany are reproduced from the sourced references on the main briefing and verified June 2026. The transposing law is BFSG (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz); see the EU’s official national transposition measures for Directive (EU) 2019/882. Enforcement is evolving fast and sources conflict — this page is an educational summary, not legal advice.